Fruit cutter and press



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1:'. D. RIDGE.

FRUIT GUTTER AND PRESS. 1

No. 515,79l. y Patented Mar. 6,1894.

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P. D. RIDGE. FRUIT GUTTER AND ERBSS.

No. 515,791. Patented Mar. 6, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED. D. RIDGE, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

FRUIT CUTTER AND PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,791, dated March 6, 1894.

Application led May 22,1893. Serial No. 475,093. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, FRED. D. RIDGE, of Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit Cutters and .Presses; and I do hereby declare thelfollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for macerating or converting apples into pomace and then pressing the same to extract the juice orrcider, and it has for its obgect, to provide a simple, convenient device with which the various operations may be carried on in one receptacle by a simple manxpulation of the parts.

:Ihe invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements ot parts to be hereinafter described and pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

iReferring to the accompanying drawings: Figure I is a side elevationof a press constructed in accordance with my present in- Ventron. Eig. 2 is a vertical section through the same. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the hopper and cutter or macerater removed and the follower in position for pressing the pomace: Fig. 4: is a top plan view with the cutter 1n position. Fig. 5 is a similar view with the cutter removed and the parts in posttion for pressing. Fig. 6 is a detail of the bearing for the crank shaft and pinion.

`Like letters of reference in the several tignres indicate the same parts. y Incarrying this invention into practice I provide a receptacle A, preferably in the form of a bucket of proper capacity, with the spigot or cock aat the bottom, which receptacle may be mounted onA any suitable base or stand whereby it is held in position while the cider making process is being carried on.

Within the receptacle A and preferably supported on lugs a is a secondary receptacle B into which the pcmace or macerated apple is deposited for pressing.. This receptacle as usual should be foraminous and I prefer to make it of corrugated sheet metal as shown in Fig. 5 whereby channels are provided between the two receptacles for the downward passage of the cider or apple juice.

Passing vertically up through the center of the two vessels and held rigidly by the bottom of the outer receptacle A, is a threaded standard or screw C, adapted to form a center upon which the cutter'disk or cutter D may revolve. This cutter disk D forms a cover for the outer receptacle andis provided with a series of radially arranged cutters or maceratersd and with a circumferential rack or gear wheel D. While the cutter disk is normally adapted to revolve on the standard D yet it is preferably further provided with a downwardly projecting flange d fitting down around the top of the vesselA and serving as an additional guide for the cutter in its rotary movement.

In addition to the knives, the cutter disk has a central upwardly extending boss or projection E upon which is journaled a sleeve F connected rigidly withthe hopper G,where by said hopper is held in position directly over the radial knives and fruitor apples deposited inthe hopper may be acted upon by said knives and sliced or maccrated as will be readily understood, the sliced 'or macerated portions dropping down through the openings in the disk and into the receptacle B.

On the front or outer side of the hopper a stud axle g is provided, upon which is journaled a sleeve H having at the inner end a pinion or cog wheel h adapted to mesh with the circular rack or cog wheel D on the cutter disk.

On the outer end of the sleeve a crank handle h is mounted hence with the parts inthe position shown in Fig. 1 when said crank handle is turned the cutter disk will be given a rotary movement and the apples orfruit in the hopper will be acted upon by the radial knives.

To prevent the movement of the hopper around the screw C as a center when the crank handle is turned I preferably provide a movable journalor bearing I pivoted to the said receptacle A, and adapted when turned up into the position shown in full lines Fig. 6, to co-operate with the sleeve Hand prevent ICO the same from moving around the center E upon which the hopper is carried, thus when the handle and pinion are rotated the cutter disk will be given a corresponding rotation. When a sufficient quantity of the apples or fruit has been converted into pomace, the hopper and connected cutter disk are removed from the receptacle A and a follower plate K placed in position in the inner receptacle around the center standard or screw and above the pomace held in said receptacle. A threaded nut being now screwed down on the screw will force the follower down and express the cider, which latter runs down into the bottom of the outer receptacle. For convenience, the sleeve H is employed as the screw for depressing the follower, to which ends the bearing for the stud g extends only throughout a portion of its length, the outer portion being screw threaded to t the upper.

end ofthe screw C, while the pinion will afford a wide bearing on the upper surface of the follower. With this arrangement, it will be seen, that when the hopper and cutter plate are removed it is only necessary to turn the bearing I down to one side as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 6, insert the follower above the pomace and with the crank handle screw the threaded sleeve H down over the follower in order to complete the cider making operation. The cider may be drawn from the vessel A through the spigot a and stored in the usual manner.

It will be seen that the device is simple in design, inexpensive and may be operated by any one, as it requires no great power or special skill.

In order to save all of the juice as the apples are being converted into pomace the rack D is preferably formed upon an upwardly projecting iiange which converts the cutter disk into a shallow receptacle, so to speak, and any juice running on the same will ow through the cutter openings down into the receptacle where it is saved. Besides saving the juice, this construction taken in connection with the tight fitting arrangement of the parts, prevents the escape or spattering of any of the juice or portions of the fruit over surrounding objects and hence the device may be used without danger of making an unwarranted amount of dirt.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is-- 1. The combination with the outer receptacle, and the inner pomace receptacle supported above the bottom of the saine, of the removable rotary cutter disk journaled above the receptacle and having the peripheral gear wheel, the hopper above the cutter disk, the pinion and crank handle carried by the hopper and cooperating with the peripheral gear wheel to rotate the cutter disk and cut 0r macerate the fruit; substantially as de scribed.

2. The combination with the outer receptacle, the inner receptacle for pomace supported above the bottom ot the same and the central screw, of the rotary cutter disk journaled on the upper end of the screw, the hopper, the gear Wheels for rotating the cutter disk, the sleeve and crank handle for rotating said gear wheels threaded to cooperate with the central screw and a follower for the inner receptacle; substantially as described.

3. The combination with the outer receptacle, the inner receptacle for pomace supported above the bottom of the same and the central screw, of the cutter disk journaled on the screw and having the peripheral gear and central projection or boss, the' hopper carried by said central projection or boss .and the pinion and crank handle cooperating with the peripheralgear on' the cutter disk and journaled on a projection carried by the hopper; substantially as described.

4. The combination with the outer receptacle, the inner receptacle for pomace supported above the bottom of the same and the central screw, of the cutter disk journaled on the screw and having the peripheral gear and central projection or boss, the hopper ca rried by said central projection or boss, the pinion and crank handle cooperating with the peripheral gear on the cutter disk, thestud on the hopper upon which said pinion 1s journaled and the stationary bearing carried by the outer receptacle for preventing the lateral movement of the hopper when the pinion is rotated; substantially as described.

5. The combination with the receptacle, the cutter disk journaled above the saine and having the peripheral gear forming a raised margin, `of the hopper located within the raised margin, the pinion cooperating with the gear and the crank handle for turning the pinion and rotating the cutter disk; substantially as described.

6. The combination with the outer receptacle, the inner receptacle supported above the bottom of the same, the central screw and the cutter disk journaled on the screw and provided with a peripheral gear, peripheral flanges projecting downwardly and upwardly and the central boss or projection E, of the hopper having the lateral journal bearing F surrounding the boss E and the oppositely projecting stud g, the pinion j ouriialed on the stud g, the threaded sleeve connected with the pinion, the crank handle, and the bearing I pivotally connected to the side of the outer receptacle; substantially as described.

FRED. D. RIDGE.

Witnesses:

O. E. DAVIDSON, H. C. RYALL. 

